Roping bit



June 20, 1950 CROCKETT 2,512,012

I ROPING BIT Filed April 15, 1948 IN VEN 70R OSCAR CPOCKETT ATTORNEY Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT emce- ROPING BIT ()scar Crockett, Boulder, Colo.

Application April 15, 1948, Serial No. 21,120

(Cl. E l- 7) 2 Claims. I

This invention relates to bridles for the control and management of ridden horses, and more particularly to the bit element of such bridles, andhas as an object to provide an improved form and "construction of bit especially adapted for useion a mount employed in the roping and working of cattle, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form, construction, and arrangement of elements constituting a bit particularly adapted for' use on'mounts employed in the roping and working of cattle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bit free from projections and extensions whereon lariat ropes, and the'like, may catch and hang in the course of mounted working of cattle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bit particularly adapted for use in the mounted working of cattle and susceptible of ready association with the usual elements of a conventionalibridle.

A further object of the invention is toprovide an improved bit advantageously employable in the mounted working of cattle that is simple and relatively inexpensive of manufacture, rugged, durable and long-lived in use, adaptable at the time of manufacture to use with particular mouth bars of various desired types and forms, and convenient of cooperation in and with a conventional bridle.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination or elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional bridle equipped with the improved bit as mountedon thehead of a horse, ready for practical use. Figure 2' is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of thebit unit shown in Figure 1 detached from the bridle elements. Figure 3 is a front elevation of the unit shown in Figure 2.

In. certain types of mounted operations, particularly the working of cattle with the. aid of lariat ropes, travel through heavy undergrowth, and the like, conventional bit constructions characterized by projections and extensions are of operative disadvantages in that the lariat ropes may catch on and become entangled with such extensions and projections, or, similarly, elements of undergrowth may catch thereon to the annoyance and distraction of mount and rider. Ohviating the disadvantages above mentioned, the

2 improved bit of the instant invention is free from open extensions and projections and presents a smooth, closed, exterior outline wherealong lariat ropes, vines, branches, and the like, may slide without catching or entanglement.

As illustrated, a major element oithe improved bit is a substantially U-shaped' yoke It formed from'suitable rigid material, suchas a metallic rod, in an open depth sufficient to embrace and depend below the lower jaw of a horse and in an open width sufficient to accommodate saidjaw. Free ends of the yoke lil diverge slightly from a condition of parallelism, are preferably flattened to'expan'ded planes adapted to comfortably overlie opposite sides of a horses jaw inwardly adjacent the mouth lip terminations, and are formed with 'apertured terminal bosses H in spaced re-' lation for connection with bridle elements in a usual manner. Straight links I2 in the yoke free end portions integral with and extending radially of the apertured bosses ll are provided in a customaryor desired length to position the mouth bar of the unit relative to elements of the bridle, said links I2 terminating at a suitable distance ironr the apertured bosses IS in flattened, expanded ears l3 coplanar with'said bosses and apertured' to receive opposite ends of a mouth bar 14- thus mounted in bridging relation betweenthe arms of the yoke [0.-

The mouth bar M of the illustrated embodiment is of conventional curb type and is merely representative of any type, form, or construction of mouth bar desired and adapted for use with the'improved unit. In any given form orconstruction-, ends of the mouth bar M are shoulderedand reduced in diameter to engage through the holes in'the ears l3, sothat when outer ends of'sai'd mouthbar are expanded or rivetedover exterior faces of said'ears, as at it, the bar [4 is securely engaged between the cars It and transverselyof the yoke it; it being feasible to form the holes through the ears i3, and the coacting ends of' the mouth bar 54, to angular outline inhibitive of bar rotation in its mounting.

The arms of the yoke it continuing beyond th ears l3 away from the links l2 are not in alignment with said links.- Onthe contrary, said arms project from said ears inan initial direction approximately perpendicular to the length of the links l2 and then curve in a gradual arc of substantial radius away from said links and into ultimate parallelism with the latter for a short distance, whereafter said arms continue toand through the yoke closed end in a reverse curve designed to dispose the yoke closed end crown in laterally offset relation with the link i2 on the side of the mouth bar l4 remote from said links. Constructed as illustrated and described, the mouth bar M, the arms of yoke 1G and the closed end of yoke ID on the side of said mouth bar remote from the links l2 constitute a closed loop adapted to loosely embrace the lower jaw of a horse when the mouth bar I4 is engaged in its customary position of use, said closed loop being of modified S-shape in side elevation and having a depth between the mouth bar and yoke closed end equal to, or preferably exceeding, its width as determined by the length of the mouth bar.

The center, or crown, of the yoke closed end is formed as a relatively-short, straight, cylindrical bearing whereon an ear l5, coplanar with and fixedly projecting radiall from a ring I1, is pivotally engaged by means of a bore through said ear extending tangentially of said ring. An annular flange, or collar l8, fixedly outstands from the yoke I arms on each side of the ear It to limit displacement of the latter in either direction along the yoke arms, adjacent faces of said elements l8 and the ear H3 preferably being slightly inclined relative to the axis of the ear bearing and in a converging relation toward the mouth bar I4, whereby to limit oscillation of the ring I! about its mounting on the yoke and to prevent a complete rotation of the ring about the yoke.

In the practical use of the improvement, a check strap I9 at each side of a bridle is attached at its lower, forward end to an appropriate one of the apertured bosses l I so as to dispose the yoke I0 closed end in rearward and downward dependence relative to said cheek straps, the bridle nose piece 20, if any, being connected to bridge the apertured bosses ll in upwardl and outwardly arching relation with the mouth bar 14, and the bridle chin strap or chain 2! being connected to span between the apertured bosses H downwardly and rearwardly from said mouth bar. As so connected in and with the bridle, the improved bit is entered and engaged in the mouth of a horse in the usual manner when and as the bridle is mounted on the horses head, the mouth bar 14 laterally traversing between the jaws of the horse adjacent the inner mouth limit, as is customary practice, the links i 2 substantially aligning as extensions of the cheek straps I 9, and the yoke IB closed end loosely embracing and depending below the lower jaw of the horse with the ring [7 depending from its midportion or crown. The reins 22 of the bridle are secured at their forward ends to the ring IT for actuation in a customary manner to guide the horse or to check forward progress through actuation of the mouth bar M resulting from rein pressures applied to swing the yoke It! rearwardly, all of which is in accord with well known and established practice. As will be immediately apparent, the construction of the improved bit presents a smooth, exterior outline when the unit is mounted for use and eliminates all extensions and projections whereon extraneous agencies might catch or foul, a lariat rope swung forwardly past the head of the mount sliding freely 4 along the links l2 and arms of the yoke l0, over the ring ll, without any tendency to catch, regardless of the relative maneuvers aifecting the bridle and rope.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A bit of the character and for the purposes described, comprising a rigid, U-shaped yoke defined between spacedly-registered, continuous, like arms each of which presents a straight link adjacent its free end, an apertured boss at the link free end, an apertured ear at the link inner end, a portion in angular relation with said link curved away from the latter to spaced parallelism therewith, and a reversely-curved portion merg ing into a smoothly-convex yoke closed end and connecting with the other arm in a straight hearing portion at the crown of said closed end, a mouth bar end-fixed through the apertures of said ears to bridge transversely of said yoke parallel to said bearing portion, and a ring substantially tangentially pivoted to said bearing portion.

2. In a bit of the character and for the purposes described, a mouth bar bridging in endfixed relation between substantially parallel links approximately perpendicular thereto, apertured bosses on corresponding ends of said links for connection with bridle elements, integral arm extensions of said links on the side of the mouth bar remote from said bosses arcuately diverging from the plane of said links and bar and coacting to define a closed loop having a smoothly-convex crown spacedly paralleling the mouth bar, an eared ring formed with a bore substantially tangentially of the ring through its ear and thereby pivotally mounted on said crown, a shoulder on each link arm extensions in shift-limiting proximity to sides of the ring ear, and inclined sur faces on said shoulders and adjacent ring ear sides convergent toward the mouth bar and coactable to limit oscillation of the ring about its pivotal axis.

OSCAR CROCKE'IT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 124,187 Wolfington Feb. 27, 1872 229,405 Hartman June 29, 1880 815,385 Sievert Mar. 20, 1906 2,012,705 Bergen Aug, 27, 1935 2,421,173 Ulrich May 27, 194':

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7 9,711 France June'l, 1843 

